She handed the list over and Kit frowned down at it. ‘Um … any particular flavour?’ he asked.
‘Just get as wide a variety as you can.’
‘Okay, well, I’d better be off,’ Kit said, standing.
‘Just let me get my purse,’ she said, leading him into the sitting room. ‘It’s really very good of you to think of the old people in this weather,’ she said as she handed him a couple of fifty euro notes. ‘I’m terrified of slipping on the pavement, and those steps are a death trap. You have to be very careful at our age.’
Kit’s eyes drifted to the swing on the ceiling. ‘Yes, I’m sure,’ he murmured. ‘Well, I’ll see you later.’
‘Bye,’ she said as she saw him to the door. ‘And best of luck with the interview!’
Romy spent the rest of the morning holed up in her bedroom with her catalogues and spreadsheets, deciding on fittings and furniture for the bathrooms and placing orders online, in between feeding and playing with Luke. When she got hungry around midday, she went to the kitchen and made herself a sandwich, relieved that Ethan wasn’t around. She knew she should ask him if he wanted anything, but she was too much of a coward. She made a mug of tea, devoured her sandwich quickly and went back to work, feeling sneaky, but glad she had managed to avoid him.
In the afternoon, when she was starting to suffer from cabin fever, she wrapped Luke up in all the warmest things she could find, put on her Wellingtons and took him out to show him the snow.
‘Look, Luke, isn’t it pretty?’ she said, her breath clouding in front of her. Luke chattered away to her as she carried him around the grounds, taking off his mittens to let him touch the snow, his nose wrinkling at the cold. She shook branches and watched his eyes dance in wonder as the snow cascaded from them like a sprinkling of talc. Glancing up at the house, she saw Ethan standing at an upstairs window watching them. He waved, and she waved back, smiling up at him, and she made Luke wave too, shaking his arm for him. Then she felt guilty because Ethan looked like a little boy with his nose pressed against the window, longing to go out and have fun in the snow, so she beckoned to him to join them. He disappeared from the window, and moments later the front door opened and he came out, pulling on a thick jacket as he walked down the steps and strode over to them.
‘Changed your mind about the snowman?’ he asked, and Romy had to grin at the boyish enthusiasm that lit up his face.
‘Um … I’ve kind of got my hands full,’ she said, indicating Luke. ‘But feel free.’
‘Maybe later. It’s no fun on your own. Here, let me take him for a while,’ he said, holding out his arms.
Romy passed Luke to him, grateful to be relieved of his weight for a while. They walked around the field in front of the house, chatting about their morning’s work, and playing with Luke. Luke shrieked with laughter when Ethan ran very fast with him and Romy chased them, her feet sinking into the deep snow as she lumbered after them. Ethan would slow down to let her catch up, making Luke squeal with delight when he swerved away again just as she reached them.
He was really good with babies, Romy thought as they walked back to the house. God, was there anything he wasn’t good at?
‘Well, time for this one’s nap,’ she said when they got to the lodge. They stamped snow off their boots at the door and she took Luke from Ethan.
Probably tired after all the fresh air, Luke went to sleep really quickly. When she came back into the kitchen, Ethan was still standing there in his jacket. ‘Cup of tea?’ she asked, moving to put the kettle on.
He shook his head. ‘Later,’ he said, grabbing her hand. ‘Come outside again.’
‘What?’
‘I want to make that snowman.’
‘You’re serious?’
‘Absolutely. Come on,’ he pleaded. ‘It never snowed like this when I was a kid. I never got to make a proper snowman. I had a deprived childhood.’
Romy looked at him helplessly. How could she resist that face? ‘I still have things to do …’ she said, making a token protest, but already knowing she was going to cave in.
‘You can do them tomorrow. Come on, we can skive off – no one will know. Besides, everyone else is having a snow day. We should get one too.’
‘Okay,’ she smiled, and was rewarded by his face lighting up. She grabbed her coat from the hook and pulled it back on, along with her gloves, hat and scarf, and they went outside again.
Snowman-building turned out to be hard work, especially as Ethan was insistent that it had to be a substantial one, in keeping with the grandeur of the house. The garden now boasted a very impressive model, constructed of two huge boulders of snow, and even sporting a classic carrot nose. It took Romy a while to cool down after their exertions and it was only when she was starting to cook dinner that she noticed how cold it had got in the house and went to check the radiator. Finding it stone cold, she turned the knob the other way, even though she knew it was already turned on and she was switching it off. Shit! She went to check the radiator in Luke’s room and found that cold too. There was obviously something wrong with the heating. It was snowing again already and the weather forecast was for more snow tomorrow. They’d freeze to death. She went out to check the boiler and found it dead, but she didn’t have a clue what was wrong. When she had tried switching it off and on again a few times to no avail, she decided to check the oil tank. She found a dipstick, got a ladder from the shed and confirmed her worst fears. They were out of oil. Damn! What a time for this to happen! There was no way of getting an oil company to deliver anytime soon. She had listened to the news on the radio, and it seemed the whole country had come to a standstill. When she got back to the house, Ethan was in the kitchen, stirring the sauce on the hob.
‘The heating’s clapped out,’ she told him. ‘There’s no oil.’
‘Oh shit! I thought it had got very cold.’
‘And there’s no hope of getting a delivery until the snow clears.’
‘Well, at least we’ve got the fire – and we still have those heaters you brought down.’
Romy nodded. ‘They won’t be enough on their own in the bedrooms, though. We should camp out in here. I guess one of us could sleep on the sofa, and we can use one of the camp beds.’
Ethan shook his head. ‘After dinner I’ll bring your mattress in here and you can have a proper bed in front of the fire. I’ll take the sofa.’
Chapter Twenty-Two
When he returned that afternoon, Kit was surprised to see that the path had been cleared, the snow shovelled to one side. As he headed for the steps, Danny emerged from the door to the garden with a shovel. Out of the corner of his eye, Kit saw his Land Rover parked outside the gate, surprised he hadn’t noticed it as he came in.
‘Hi, Danny.’ He stopped at the bottom of the steps.
‘Kit! What are you doing here?’ Danny asked, coming to a halt in front of him.
‘I came back for an interview this morning.’
‘Oh. So I guess you’re stuck here now.’
‘Yeah, for the time being.’
‘Big weekend planned?’ Danny asked, nodding to the groceries Kit held in his arms. Following his gaze, Kit saw a jumbo box of ribbed condoms peeking out of a Boots bag.
‘Oh! No – I was just doing some shopping for May.’
‘Oh, right.’ Danny smirked. ‘Well, I told Romy I’d come over and do the steps for her since she’s snowed in down there. I’d better crack on.’
‘Okay. I should go and give May her groceries. See you later, maybe,’ Kit said as he gripped the railing and started up the steps.
As he let himself into his apartment, Kit felt strangely hollow and he couldn’t figure out why. The interview had gone really well. He could do the job in his sleep, and finding himself back on his own turf, with people who spoke the same language, he had felt competent and in control. He had been in no doubt of their approval. They were obviously impressed by his experience and abilities, and saw him as a highly desirable employee. One of th
e guys who had interviewed him was an old acquaintance – a former colleague from New York who Kit knew could be relied on to put in a good word. He had even invited Kit to join them for Christmas drinks and told him to bring his partner.
Sitting in the harsh light of that smart, shiny office, he had felt the threads of his old life start to knit together again and wrap themselves around him. That familiar world of suits, back-slapping machismo and high stakes deal-making could be his again – and he wouldn’t even have to go to New York. Romy could come to the Christmas drinks with him. He could take her to business dinners and functions and show her off to his colleagues and clients. He would have his old life back. It was practically a done deal.
So why did he feel so edgy? He should be buzzing. Instead he felt empty, nervous and … hemmed in. He flopped onto the sofa, pulled off his tie and threw it on the coffee table. It was probably just that he’d been out of that world for a while so it was a bit daunting going back to it – like returning to school after the summer holidays. After the first week he’d be fine, and it would be as if he’d never been away. He went to the kitchen, took a bottle of Chablis from the fridge and poured himself a huge glass, wishing Romy was there to have a drink with him.
Taking his wine back into the living room, he sat on the sofa, put his feet up on the coffee table and turned on the hi-fi. Three tracks later, he retraced his steps to the kitchen to top up his glass. He glanced at the clock on the kitchen wall. It was only three o’clock, but what the hell? Soon he would have a job again and he wouldn’t be able to drink in the middle of the day. Might as well make the most of it while he had the chance. Maybe he would even go out later, let his hair down … hook up, even. It had been a long time since he’d had a good night out.
Back in the living room, he called Romy. He felt even worse about her being stuck down in the country when she told him the heating had broken down, but she seemed remarkably cheerful despite everything, and genuinely didn’t seem to mind being marooned there with Ethan.
‘You okay?’ she asked, after he had told her all about the interview. ‘You sound a bit … flat.’
‘Yeah, I’m fine. I guess it’s just a bit of an anti-climax when there’s no one here to celebrate with.’
‘Is Danny there? He said he’d go over to clear the snow.’
‘Yeah, I saw him.’ He was still out there. Kit could hear the scraping of his shovel on the steps.
‘Well, he’s staying over at my place tonight. I’m not sure – I think he might be going out later. But you could try him.’
A couple of hours later, Kit was opening a second bottle when he realised the scraping outside had stopped. He heard the front door open and close. That must be Danny knocking off work. Maybe Danny would have a drink with him, help him celebrate. Maybe they could go out to a club together, perhaps even … He sloshed a mouthful of wine into his glass and knocked it back. Then he picked up the bottle, grabbed his keys and went out. He bounded up the steps, which were now cleared, the snow piled up on either side. He went inside and knocked on Romy’s door.
‘Hi,’ he said when Danny opened the door. ‘Drink?’ he offered, raising the bottle.
‘I was just about to get ready to go out,’ Danny said.
‘Oh, okay,’ Kit said despondently.
Danny’s face softened. ‘Well, just a quick one, then,’ he said, standing back to let Kit in.
‘Great!’ Kit strode into Romy’s living room and planted himself on the sofa.
Danny got a couple of glasses and put them on the coffee table, and Kit poured the wine.
‘Here’s to me,’ he said, handing a glass to Danny and raising his own in salute. ‘I think my interview today went really well.’
‘Oh, good for you!’ Danny said, clinking his glass against Kit’s as he sat down beside him. ‘Does this mean you’re planning to stay in Dublin, then?’
‘Yeah, I think so – for now anyway.’
‘So how’s work going on the house?’
‘It was going okay, but of course it’s all come to a standstill now with this snow.’
‘And now Romy’s snowed in down there with your brother,’ Danny said thoughtfully.
‘Yeah. I feel really bad about that. I spoke to her earlier, though, and she seems very upbeat about the whole thing. She takes things in her stride, doesn’t she?’
‘She does,’ Danny said, smiling.
‘So, where are you off to?’ Kit asked, refilling his glass. Danny still wasn’t even halfway through his. ‘Hot date?’
‘No. Just a party.’
‘Oh, a party? Sounds like fun.’ Kit gulped down more wine while he waited for Danny to invite him along.
‘I’d ask you to come, but I’m sort of going on someone else’s invite, so …’
‘Oh, no – that’s fine. Will your wanker ex be there?’
‘Paul? No,’ Danny said, narrowing his eyes at Kit.
‘Good. Glad to hear it,’ Kit slurred. ‘So who are you going with? New bloke in your life?’
‘Just some friends,’ Danny said curtly. He glanced at his watch. ‘Well, I’d better go and get ready.’
Kit looked at him unhappily. ‘Do you have to go? Why don’t you stay here and we’ll get drunk together? It’s going to be hell trying to get anywhere tonight anyway with this weather.’
Danny hesitated, looking tempted for a moment. ‘Sorry, but they’ll be expecting me.’ He drained his glass, put it back on the coffee table and got up. ‘You can stay and finish your drink if you like.’
‘Oh, come on,’ Kit wheedled. ‘You don’t want to go out in that cold, do you? Or are you hoping to hook up at this party?’
‘None of your business.’
‘Because if you’re not, you might as well stay here and get shitfaced with me. Or we could go to the local pub.’
Danny sighed. ‘Look, I’m not Romy, okay? I’m not going to throw everything in and prop you up just because you’re feeling a bit sorry for yourself.’
Kit was taken aback. He’d never seen this assertive, almost aggressive side of Danny before. He rather liked it. ‘I’m not feeling sorry for myself. I’m celebrating.’
‘Doesn’t look like it to me. Anyway, I’ve no time to stand here arguing with you. I’m going to get ready. Stay as long as you want.’ With that, he turned on his heel and stalked off to the bathroom.
When he was gone, Kit poured the remains of the bottle into his glass and continued to drink. He was starting to feel quite mellow. He took off his jacket and stretched out full-length on the sofa. He was still lying there when Danny reappeared, wearing black jeans and a black polo neck jumper, his thick dark hair still damp from the shower. Holy shit! He scrubbed up well, Kit thought, sitting up. He watched as Danny moved around the room, picking up keys and wallet and stuffing them into his pockets. The black clothes accentuated his dark colouring, and he looked sleek and elegant as a panther– maybe even a little bit dangerous.
‘Is that what you’re wearing?’ Kit asked, waving his wine glass in Danny’s general direction.
‘Well … yeah. What does it look like?’
It looked mighty fine, Kit thought. But he said, ‘You’ll never pull in that.’
‘What?’ Danny looked at him, aghast. ‘What’s wrong with it?’
‘Nothing if you’re playing a cat burglar in a Hollywood B movie. But if you want to hook up with a hot gay man …’
‘And what the fuck would you know about that?’ Danny said scathingly.
‘Quite a lot, actually,’ Kit said, getting up and walking over to him, backing Danny into the wall until they were standing toe to toe eyeballing each other. ‘For instance,’ he said, taking Danny’s face in his hands and kissing him forcefully, pushing him back into the wall.
For a moment, Danny was too stunned to respond. He stood there lifelessly, his lips remaining rigid while Kit kissed him. Then he suddenly came to with a jolt and pushed him away. ‘Kit, stop!’ he gasped. ‘We can’t do this.’
Danny looked away. ‘I can’t do this to Romy.’
‘Romy!’ Kit said, laughing in relief. He had noticed Danny’s evasive answer to his question. ‘That’s not real,’ he said. ‘Romy and me – we’re not really together.’
‘You’re not?’
Kit shook his head. ‘No.’
‘You’ve never been with her?’
‘I’ve never slept with her, no.’
‘With any woman?’
‘Not since I was eighteen.’
‘So you’re … gay?’
‘As I was saying,’ Kit said, bending his head to Danny’s again. This time he kissed him softly, gently, and Danny relaxed, winding his arms around Kit’s back and opening his mouth to his coaxing tongue, and then the kiss became more passionate, their tongues tangling and wrestling with each other.
‘Right,’ Danny said breathlessly as Kit sucked on his neck. ‘I see your point.’
‘There’s more,’ Kit whispered, his hands roaming under Danny’s jumper. ‘You want to hear it?’
‘I’m all ears.’
Kit grabbed the hem of Danny’s top and pulled it off and then he was kissing his chest, licking and sucking his nipples.
‘Shit!’ Danny gasped. ‘You really know what you’re talking about, don’t you?’
‘And you’re such a great listener.’ Kit smiled against Danny’s skin as he kissed his way down his stomach until he was kneeling before him, unbuckling his belt.
‘I’m going to be late,’ Danny breathed, groaning deep in his throat as Kit unzipped his jeans and his hand moved over the bulge in his boxers.
‘Shut up,’ Kit murmured. ‘You’ve pulled.’
After dinner, Romy lifted Luke into his Moses basket and carried it gently into the living room, careful not to wake him. Then she pulled back the couch while Ethan dragged her mattress in, dropping it in front of the fire. They had set up the two electric heaters at the far corners of the room, so that between them and the fire, it was now quite cosy and warm. While Romy washed up, Ethan piled up her bed with pillows, duvets and blankets. There was something incredibly sexy about a man making a bed for you – even if his intention was simply to prevent Romy dying of hypothermia, and not to spread her out on it and have his wicked way with her. He threw a couple of pillows and a duvet onto the sofa for himself.
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